


New Beginnings

by goldenmoon



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-24 19:01:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20912540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenmoon/pseuds/goldenmoon
Summary: Ellie loved baking. So it was only right that their relationship began with a small red velvet cupcake placed on the edge of DI Alec Hardy's desk.And then somehow, it becomes significant to them, throughout every step of their relationship.





	New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Wow. So it's happening. I have wanted to write a Broadchurch fic for so so so long but I've always worried that I would never ever be able to get the characterisation right, especially with Alec. Tonight, for some reason, I decided to just go for it and this fic was written. I'm still not sure if I got it properly right so I would absolutely /love/ feedback on it. But please enjoy either way!

** _ Birthdays _ **

It started with a cake. A cupcake to be specific. She had told herself that it was a cupcake because a full cake wouldn’t exactly be practical to bring into the office but it was really because in between picking Fred up from her sister’s and making sure her teenage son actually did his homework before going on the xbox, all she had time to make was a small red velvet cupcake. With cream cheese icing. And sprinkles. 

This said cake had just been delicately placed on the end of DI Alec Hardy’s desk.

“What’s this?” He frowned, pointing to it with the end of his expensive pen. She knew it was expensive because he reminded her of it whenever she asked to borrow it when they were on a case. He always reminded her that he didn’t want it to end up at the bottom of her handbag with the rest of her old receipts and wrappers. She also knew it was expensive because Alec Hardy was definitely the sort of man to spend money on a pen.

“It’s a cake. Red velvet.” She grinned, clasping her hands behind her back. 

“And why are you giving it to me?”

If it was even possible, her smile widened a bit more and she even started to bounce slightly on the balls of her feet. “Because Hardy, I know it’s your _ birthday _today.”

He groaned loudly and leant back into his chair, covering his eyes with his hand. “How did you _ possibly _ find out? I always make sure that my co-workers don’t find out my birthday!”

“Why not? I know you’re a grump but everyone likes their birthday! You get cake and round bought for you at the pub!”

Hardy finally looked up at her with a grimace. “Because it’s..._ awkward. _ I’d rather not have Dave from forensics come up to my office to give me a pat on the shoulder and told to have a good day.”

“I don’t think we have a Dave in forensics.” She frowned.

“Do we not? Who am I thinking of? Bald guy.”

“Ah you’re thinking of Tony. He’s just got back from holiday actually, I should pop down and say hello.”

“Whatever.” He waved his hand, he couldn’t care less about Dave or Tony or whoever this guy was. “Anyway! Stop avoiding the question, Miller. How did you find out it was my birthday?”

“I am a detective, you know. I put together a number of clues, I’ve been secretly collecting evidence about you ever since you started here-”

“Miller.” 

Ellie sighed as she looked back into Hardy’s dull stare. He didn’t believe a word and she knew it.

  
“Fine! Daisy told me the other day.”

He groaned loudly again, throwing his pen on his desk and running his fingers slightly through his hair. Ellie had just begun to admire how she liked his hair slightly tousled like that, it made him look quite handsome. And then she caught herself. She had described Alec a lot of words in her head but never ever was _ handsome _one of them.

“I knew it! She said the other night that we should celebrate it this year, something about it being the perfect opportunity to ‘get to know the neighbours’. Invite them for a barbeque or something equally as horrifying.”

“I don’t think she would actually do that to you. You hosting a barbeque for the residents of Broadchurch would be a complete disaster.” She giggled. “And I think it did genuinely slip out, I caught her buying a card in the shop and asked her who it was for. Don’t think she really thought about it when she said it was for you.”

Hardy slowly nods, realising that he would have to accept the fact that Ellie Miller now knew when his birthday was. And knowing her, she would make a fuss about it every single year. 

There was another few moments of silence before Ellie realised that it was probably the end of the conversation. “Right. Well I better get on with that paperwork from the Palmer case.”

She was about two steps from the door when Hardy called out to her.

“Miller! Wait.” 

Ellie turned back on her heel to face him, her eyebrows raised.

“I...thanks. For y’know, the cake.” He managed to get out. It looked like it pained him to get those words out. But it was enough for Ellie.

“No problem. So, we thinking seven o’clock?”

It was now Hardy’s turn to look surprised. “For what?”

“The pub. It’s your birthday isn’t it? I need to buy you a drink.” She explained nonchalantly as if going to the pub together was a regular occurence. 

“I shouldn’t, Daisy will be waiting for me at home. I think she’s going to attempt to cook a meal for me.” He replied, frowning slightly at the thought of it. He loved his daughter and she was good at many things. Currently, cooking was not one of them.

“I’ve already sorted it with her, told her that I’ll just take you there for one drink. You should only be gone half an hour or so.” Ellie shot back, she had already planned ahead for all his excuses. 

Alec leant back in his chair again with his arms crossed, scrutinising at Ellie for a few more moments. Miller thought that he was currently trying to think of another excuse, which of course she would have an answer to, so when he slowly nodded she was surprised.

“Fine. See you then.” He said quickly and then picked up his pen again and began to work as if she was no longer there.

“Fine. Good. See you then.” She nodded, managing to keep her composure. As soon as she got out of his office, her face broke out into another brilliant smile at the fact that her plan had been a success. Ellie Miller had finally got Alec Hardy to the pub. 

Inside his office, Hardy slowly reached over to the cupcake which was still sat at the edge of his desk and dipped his finger into the icing before tentatively giving it a taste. 

It was amazing. Just like her. 

When Ellie looked back towards Hardy’s office, she was just able to see him through the blinds. And the sight of him happily tucking into her cake put a smug smile on her face for the rest of the day.

  
  


A few months later it was Ellie’s birthday. She had been woken up with her youngest jumping on top of her bed with a card clasped in his hand which he had made at nursery. It did however have a lot of glitter stuck to it which was now raining down onto her bed sheets as he jumped.

“Your birthday mumma!” Fred shouted, still jumping. 

“I know! Is this card for me?” She asked, gently placing her hands on his shoulders to try and stop the jumping. 

He grinned and nodded, handing her the card which was covered in numerous colours of paints, stickers and of course, glitter. 

“Oh it’s lovely! Thank you, my love.” Ellie smiled, placing a kiss on his cheek. “Now, let’s get your brother up, shall we?”

She laughed to herself when she heard Fred run into Tom’s room, presumably to give him the same wake-up call that he gave her, jumping onto the bed. Once she was alone, Ellie sat back against the pillows, absentmindedly brushing away the glitter from her duvet as she let her mind wander. Out of nowhere she was reminded of the birthdays she used to celebrate with Joe, when he would wake her up with a bouquet of flowers and would pamper her the whole day before taking her out for a meal at their favourite restaurant. 

After a few moments, she snapped herself out of it. That was the past. She would never have that again. 

The morning went pretty smoothly after that. For once, Tom willingly gave her a hug rather than she just forcing herself onto him before he passed her a photo frame filled with a photo of the three of them on the beach from the summer. Obviously, it made her cry. 

It was when Ellie got to work however that the biggest surprise of the day was waiting for her. Once she had finally made it to her desk after numerous hugs and happy birthdays from her co-workers, there was something sat there waiting for her. 

There, on a small piece of kitchen roll was a cupcake. A chocolate one which what looked like vanilla icing swirled on top. Letting out a breathless laugh, Ellie practically fell back on her chair as she continued to stare at it. It couldn’t be Hardy who left that for her, could it? He was definitely not the sort of person who would usually be sentimental like that but who else would leave that for her?

Ellie realised that the only way to find out was to ask the man himself. After a quick glance to his office, she saw that he was already at his desk hunched over his papers. She cradled the cupcake in her hands and marched over to his office, not even bothering to knock.

“Hardy? What...what’s this?” 

“It’s your birthday isn’t it? Thought...y’know, thought that I should give you something back for what you gave me a few months ago.” Alec stammered, his cheeks were even starting to tinge pink. 

“And did you bake it?!” Ellie exclaimed.

His cheeks turned an even darker pink as he gave her a slight nod. “Yeah, got to have some interests outside of work, don’t I?”

Ellie laughed. “Yeah, but didn’t put you down as a baker.”

“I’m more of a cook than a baker but it’s not that hard to follow a recipe for cupcakes. Daisy took the rest for her bake sale so it really wasn’t that much of a bother.” Hardy replied, shrugging. Ellie knew that it was just to downplay the gesture as much as he could.

She nodded, still beaming. “Well I love it. Thank you, Hardy.”

Hardy looked away from her, trying to will himself to say the words he had been planning on saying all day. Finally, he managed to mumble a quick “So, pub tonight?”

Ellie gasped, her mouth dropping open slightly. Had she woken up in some parallel universe this morning? The Alec Hardy she knew would never usually ask her to go to the pub.

“I’m thinking straight after work.” He continued. “Daisy is going round to the Latimers so she won’t be waiting at home for me. Of course, depends on your plans, if you’re busy with the boys or whatever then forget I asked-”

“I’d love to.” Ellie interrupted. “I better get back to work but I’ll see you later?”

  
“Of course.” He murmured and then, just as Ellie was leaving she heard the second thing she never thought would hear leave Hardy’s mouth. “Happy Birthday, Ellie.”

  
  


_** Condolences**. _

It was a Saturday when Miller got the call. She had been looking forward to the weekend for weeks as it was the first one she had off in so long after their last case had pretty much put her life on hold. Ellie had planned the whole day with Tom and Fred, from going for lunch at the Latimer’s followed by visiting the annual funfair which had came to town. 

The phone call quickly put a pause on those plans. 

Her father had passed away in the night. He had moved out of her house nearly a year ago to a sheltered accomodation place in the next town over. Ellie knew he was happier there, especially as he didn’t have to spend all his free time babysitting when she was out, and their relationship had improved because of it. So it comforted her slightly knowing he had gone happy, but it still managed to shatter her heart into a million little pieces. 

Lucy had came straight over with Olly in tow so he could keep an eye on Tom and Fred as the two sisters mourned together. Telling the kids was up there with telling them that their father was a murderer as far as heart-wrenching conversations go. 

It was a few days later when the doorbell rang. Ellie glanced up the stairs to see if Tom was making a move to get it and when there was no such movement, Ellie rolled her eyes in frustration. 

  
“Sorry, I’ve got to go. I’ll ring you back.” She said into the phone. She was currently trying to plan the funeral which Lucy had left down to her. Like everything else. When she swung open the door, Ellie stepped back slightly in surprise at the sight of Alec standing on her doorstep with a few containers in his hands.

“Hi. I thought you might like these.” He said, practically pushing the containers into his hands. Alec rubbed the back of his neck as he continued. “I thought you might not be in the mood to cook so I made you a lasagne. And a madeira cake.”

Ellie nodded, glancing down at the food which was currently giving off a delicious smell.

“Thank you.” She mumbled. “Do you want to come in?” 

Alec hesitated for a moment. “Are you sure? I know how tough it can be without having to make small talk with your boss.”

Ellie let out a small laugh, the first one she had done since she had found out the news. “I’d honestly like the company. Just having the company of a three year old all day has started to drive me a bit crazy.”

Alec gave her a small smile in return and stepped into the hallway, quickly shrugging off his coat and shoes before following her into the kitchen. 

“I really am sorry to hear the news.” He eventually said after watching Ellie put the lasagne into the fridge.

“Thanks. Me and my dad didn’t have the best relationship at times but it still hurts, y’know?”

“I know. My uncle passed away a year or so ago. He was probably the closest thing to a dad I ever had and even though I barely saw him after moving from Glasgow, it destroyed me to find out.” Alec murmured, looking down at his hands.

“A year ago? You were in Broadchurch then, how did I not know?” Ellie asked in shock.

  
“You probably just thought I was being an asshole like usual that day.” Alec looked up at her, giving her a small smirk. “I...I didn’t want people to find out really. Would rather not have all those sympathetic glances and cards from people who didn’t even know him. Just wanted to get back to normal. I told the superintendent of course, got a few days off so I could go to the funeral back at home.”

Ellie’s mind flashed back to the few days last year when Hardy wasn’t in and he never explained to her why. They had been so happy at the time to have a few days without ‘shitface’ but knowing now why he wasn’t there made Ellie’s stomach churn with guilt. 

Before she could say anything else, she heard the telltale sound of a teenage boy thumping down the stairs. Tom popped his head round the door and Ellie saw the confusion run over his face at the sight of Hardy standing there.

“Hi Tom.” The man in question said.

  
Tom give him a nod in return, still staring at him slightly. 

“Did you need something, love?” Ellie asked.

Finally, Tom turned to her “My mates are going down to the beach for a bit to play footie, can I go?”

“As long as you take Freddie with you.”

Tom groaned “He just gets in the way! He thinks it’s hilarious to run and hide the ball from us!”

Ellie continued to look at him with an eyebrow raised, telling him that that was her condition, take it or leave it. 

“Fine!” He exclaimed before turning and shouting for Fred to get his coat. After an excited squeal from her youngest and a few moments of rummaging in the shoe cupboard in the hallway, the front door slammed shut. 

Ellie didn’t say anything after that, instead she grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and tucked a bottle of red wine under her arm. “C’mon, you didn’t drive here did you?”

“Erm no, why?”

Ellie gestured to the wine as an answer and then led him into her living room. 

  
“You redecorated.” Alec noted, glancing round the room. He liked it. It had a warm, homely feel which he and Tess could never achieve at their old family home. The mantlepiece was covered with photos of her and the kids, which Alec quietly noted that there wasn’t a single one with Joe in it. 

“Had to. Thought about moving house to get away from the memories of him but I couldn’t bare to take the kids from their family home. Redecorating was the next best thing.” Ellie replied as she bent down to pick up the crayons which were littering the floor. “Sorry, I did tell Fred to pick these up.”

“Don’t bother, I think that’s the last of your worries right now.” Alec said softly, perching on the end of her comfortable sofa.

Ellie continued to pick them up and mumbled a quick “Be right back.” as she went into the kitchen with the crayons. When she came back out, she had the container with the cake in her hand instead. 

“Think I deserve a bit of this cake and a large glass of wine, to be honest” She said, cutting two large pieces out and handing one to Alec, followed by a glass of red. 

After a mouthful of Alec’s madeira cake, her eyes widened. “Bloody hell, Hardy! You really are a good cook!” 

“I’m good at everything, didn’t you know?” He joked, showing a rare side to him which Miller barely saw. The fun side of him. Alec took a sip of his wine and then placed it down on the coffee table so he could comfortably turn to face Ellie. “So how have you been?”

Ellie shrugged. “I’m kinda sick of it, in a weird way? Feeling like this?”

Alec stayed silent, letting her gather her thoughts for a few seconds before she continued.

  
“Last year was...shit.” She sighed “And I promised myself that this year was going to be a good one. That my relationship with Tom would get back to how it used to be, that work would go well, that...I’d maybe find someone who _ wasn’t _a murderer.”

“Always a good criteria.” 

Ellie snorted. “I like to keep my options open. But my plan was going well, really well. I should have known it wouldn’t be long before something else threw me right back into that dark place.”

Alec put his wine glass down next to his plate and then gently took Ellie’s from her hand, also putting it on the table. Then, with his free hand, he gently entwined their fingers together and gave her hand a squeeze.

“Ellie...you are literally the strongest person I have ever met.” He looked straight into her eyes, making her eventually look back at him instead of staring at the wall. “I don’t know anyone else who would have the strength to stay in this town after all that happened. You are a wonder to me and I’m sorry I haven’t made that clear to you before.”

Ellie stayed silent, gently pushing their hands even closer together to try and gesture how much that meant to her. She didn’t even realise she had started to cry until Alec gently wiped a tear away from her cheek. 

“There must be something in that cake.” She murmured, maintaining eye contact with him.

Alec smiled. “I only made that cake so I would have an excuse to come round and see you. The office wasn’t the same without you.”

Ellie gave him a slightly watery smile before she shuffled even closer together. Their knees were now touching. 

And then she leant in. 

“Ellie...I don’t want to take advantage. We’ve both had a drink and you’re upset” He whispered. She could feel his breath on her lips.

  
“You’re not taking advantage. I want this.” She replied, just as quietly. 

When their lips finally touched there wasn’t fireworks like all the romcoms and books make out. It felt like _ home. _Like every single moment had been leading up to this one. 

And in that moment, all Ellie Miller could think was thank god Hardy brought that cake round.

  


** _ Announcement _ **

“Hi Beth! Sorry I haven’t had a chance to ring back earlier.” Ellie said into the phone as she sat herself down on the lounge chair in the garden. It was finally a nice day after a week of rain and she was taking advantage of it. 

  
“It’s fine, I know you’re busy” She replied. At that moment Alec walked out her house with two gin and tonics in his hand, complete with slices of cucumber and everything. Alec Hardy had class.

“Yeah, so busy.” Ellie grinned, winking up at Alec as he sat down next to her and took a long sip of his drink. Ellie tried not to get distracted by watching how nice his jaw and neck looked when he did that. 

“Ellie? You still there?”

“Yes! Sorry, what were you saying?” Ellie said quickly, turning away from Alec and instead focusing on how the snails had obviously claimed her attempt at a tomato plant. 

“I was just wondering if you wanted to come round to mine tomorrow? Sunday lunch? Bring the kids.” Beth explained.

“Yes of course! Love to.” She said. Ellie was so thankful that her relationship with Beth had gotten back to normal, they needed each other after everything they went through. Then, Ellie’s eyes flickered over to Alec whose eyes were closed and his head tilted up to the sun. Without thinking, she then added, “Can I bring someone else?”

Alec’s eyes shot open as he stared at Ellie, frantically shaking his head. In return, she simply grinned back at him.

“Who is it?” Beth asked.

This was it, no return now. At this point, Alec was still intensely staring at her, as if he was trying to send a telepathic message to stop right now and hang up the phone. Ellie ignored him.

“Alec”

“Alec as in Alec Hardy? DI Hardy?” Beth spluttered.

“Yeah, why not? He’s done so much for you, he deserves to be invited into the Sunday lunch club.”

“I mean...yeah I suppose he has. I doubt he would come though.” 

“Don’t worry about that. He will” Ellie replied smugly before she quickly said her goodbyes and hung up the phone.

“What have you just signed me up for?” Alec asked exasperatedly, rubbing his brow. 

“Sunday lunch at the Latimer’s.” 

“I mean I got that, but why?” 

Ellie shrugged “Because if we are both serious about possibly making a go of this then I want all my friends to know about us. I’m sick of hiding it.” 

It had been two months since their first kiss on Ellie’s sofa and since then they had barely spent a day apart. They weren’t entirely sure where it was heading and it still shocked them everyday that it was even happening but they knew it made them happier than they have been in _ ages. _

Alec sighed, deep down he knew she was right. Didn’t make the thought of making small talk with Nige Carter any less painful though.

“Glad we told the kids last week then. Would be awful if Daisy found out from Chloe.” Alec sighed.

The fact that telling their children went well shocked them. They knew that Fred wouldn’t have a problem either way, he had actually become pretty obsessed with the man with a funny accent who was _ very _good at doing voices in his storybooks. 

Daisy was overjoyed. She was sick of trying to convince her dad to give online dating another go so the fact that he had gone out and found someone on his own, someone she already really liked already, made her so happy. 

Tom took a bit longer to convince. He would never forgive what Joe did but it was still a bit strange for him to see his mum kissing someone else other than his dad, the sight which he had grown up with. But when Ellie had taken him aside and told him that she was the happiest she had been in a long, long time, he couldn’t help but be happy for her. And Alec was pretty cool, he wasn’t great at video games, but he was cool. 

“We need to think of something to take with us.” Ellie said as she bit her lip. “What do you think?”

  
“There’s a bottle of wine in the rack. Take that.” Alec shrugged as he settled back into his original position of soaking in the sunlight.

Ellie stayed quiet for a minute as she reached for a phone and scrolled through it. Then, “Let’s bake something! We haven’t cooked together yet!”

“Probably because we would end up breaking up.” Alec drawled, his eyes still closed.

“Oh come on! Please! We could do a cake!”

Finally, Alec opened one eye and looked at her excited face. Sighing, he knew that his time relaxing in the sunlight was over. “Fine! Find a recipe!” 

  


They had ended up baking a classic. Victoria Sponge. And they did it without _ too many _arguments. Maybe just one while they were mixing…

_ “Mix harder, woman!” _

And one when it was in the oven…

_ “It’s not ready Alec! Stop opening that bloody door!” _

_ “Well you need to clean your oven door a bit better so I can see how it’s doing without opening it!” _

And finally one while they were icing…

_ “It’s not symmetrical!” _

_ “It’s for the Latimer’s, not the fucking queen! I don’t think Nige will care if this blob of icing is slightly off, let’s be honest” _

Apart from that, they had fun doing it. Especially when Alec lifted Ellie up onto her kitchen counter and kissed her senseless while the cake was in the oven. Tom tried to ignore the fact that his mum had flour all over her backside and the fact that there was a patch in the middle of the counter absent of flour. He _ definitely _didn’t want to think why.

  


When Beth opened the door, her eyes widened slightly at the sight. There, looking like a picture perfect family, were Ellie, Alec and their three kids standing around them. Ellie was giving her a slightly nervous smile as she gripped harder on the cake container in her hands which held their precious sponge.

“Er...come in!” Beth said when she finally gathered herself together. “Glad you could come DI Hardy.”

“You don’t have to call me that. I’m not on duty.” 

Beth nodded but she knew she could never bring herself to call him _ Alec. _Not that Alec would want that either to be honest, he had only just grown comfortable at Ellie calling him that rather than Hardy.

Alec stayed glued to Ellie the entire time while they were waiting for dinner to be cooked. He couldn’t bear the thought of being left with just Paul Coates to make conversation with, or even worse...Becca Fisher.

“Didn’t think you would be one for this sort of thing, Hardy.” Mark said once they had served dessert, their cake. 

Alec took a long drink of his wine in hope that it would loosen him up a bit so he could get through it. Throughout the lunch he had managed to stay out of many questions and he let the others make conversation around him while he sat back and watched. Not anymore. “Yeah...Ellie asked me so…”

“Oh! It’s Ellie now! She told me that you only called her Miller!” Beth exclaimed, her eyes wide as she looked between the pair of them. 

There was silence as Ellie made eye contact with him, both of them trying to work out if this was the best time. 

Alec had never been so grateful for his daughter when she finally broke the silence. 

“Amazing cake dad!” She said, taking another mouthful. Beside her, Fred also nodded enthusiastically as he tore it apart with his hands and smeared cream and jam all over his mouth.

“Oh, I thought Ellie made it?” Paul asked.

“We...made it together.” Ellie managed to get out, knowing that this was the start.

“Oh!” Beth gasped as she struggled for words. “That’s different for you two!” 

Alec groaned inwardly and then grasped Ellie’s hand, placing it on top of the table. “Fine. We’re together, okay?”

He could see that Ellie had looked up at him in shock, she had thought she would have to be the one to reveal it, never him. 

“I knew it! I knew it would happen eventually!” Beth exclaimed, coming round the table to give Ellie a hug. “I’m so happy for you, mate.”

Ellie grinned into Beth’s neck, her eyes stinging slightly with tears. She wasn’t entirely sure how Beth was going to react to the fact she was now in a relationship with the detective who was leading the case to find her son’s murderer. But she was so happy her best friend had reacted well.

“And you! Come here!” Beth then let go of Ellie and pulled an unexpecting Alec into a hug, something which he didn’t really know how to react to. After a while, he gently put a hand on her shoulder blades to give it a light pat. “Thank you for making her happy, I’m so glad.” She finally murmured in his ear. 

When Beth finally let him go, Alec looked over at Ellie and squeezed her hand which was still gripped to his. Yeah, he was glad that he could make her happy too. 

  


** _ Love _ **

Alec didn’t realise she was _ in love _with Ellie until a very specific moment. It was when he saw her with his daughter, his little girl, that he realised that this was the woman he wanted to live the rest of his life with.

“El? I’m back!” He called out as he let himself into her house. Him and Daisy had probably spent more time here in the past few months than they had at his own little blue house. It was starting to feel a bit like home. 

Instead of Ellie greeting him, he saw Fred barrelling towards him from the living room. Alec had just enough time to drop the groceries he had bought to make dinner so that he could catch the small child.

“Hey Freddie. Where’s your mumma?” 

Fred was distracted for a moment by Alec’s beard as he ran his small hand up and down it, giggling as it tickled him. Gently, Alec put his hand over Fred’s to get his attention.

“Where has Tom gone? Daisy?”

Fred thought for a moment before pointing back to the living room “Tom in there.” 

Alec nodded “And mumma?” 

Fred thought for another moment before shrugging and then getting back to his new toy, Alec’s beard. Alec sighed and carried him into the living room to find Tom engrossed in the x-box.

“Tom, mate? Where’s your mum?” 

Tom kept his eyes glued on the screen as he replied “She’s upstairs with Daisy. Think Daisy was upset over something so she went up there to see if she was okay. Been up there ages.” 

Alec’s brow furrowed and quickly placed Fred back down on the floor next to where his toys were sprawled out across the floor. “Right. Well I better go and check on them.” 

He ignored Tom’s call about what time dinner would be as he practically ran up the stairs. His Daisy was upset and he needed to find out why.

Glancing in his and Ellie’s room (when did it become their room?) to find it empty, he went to the closed door of the spare room which Daisy had practically moved into. Alec gave it a tentative knock.

“Ellie? Dais? It’s me, can I come in?” He said softly.

It was a few seconds before the door opened slightly and Ellie’s door popped out. Looking over the top of her head, Alec could see Daisy sitting on the bed with red, puffy eyes, a telltale sign that she had been crying.

“Hi love, we’re just having a bit of girl talk right now. I’ll be down in a sec, okay?” Ellie replied. She looked up at Alec and raised her eyebrows in a way that she hoped it would hint for him to leave them alone for a bit longer and she would tell him all about it soon.

Thankfully, they had gotten pretty good at reading each other’s expressions as he slowly nodded.

“Okay, I’ll be right downstairs. Call if you need me.” 

Ellie gave him another soft smile before she retreated back into the room, closing the door firmly behind her.

It was _ torture _for Alec. He hated the fact that he had to sit downstairs while Daisy was currently crying over something, something which he didn’t know what. His mind raced, had he said something to upset her? Was it Tess? Someone at school? 

His thoughts were interrupted by an impatient hit on his arm by Fred. “Help Alec!” 

To try and take his mind off it, he had allowed Fred to get a jigsaw puzzle out and was helping him to put all the edge pieces together. 

“Sorry, mate.” He sighed. They had only managed to put a few more pieces together when Ellie came into the living room, gesturing with her head to go to the kitchen. “I’ll be right back, Freddie. See if you can finish the edges without me.”

Ellie was bracing herself at the kitchen table when Alec came in. She knew this wouldn’t be pretty. 

“Hi lovely, sorry about that.” She murmured, coming over and giving him a quick but sweet kiss. 

“What’s going on El?” He said as soon as she broke it, but he kept his hands firmly on her hips as if to ground himself.

Ellie sighed and put her hands on Alec’s shoulders, giving them a squeeze. “Daisy’s just been dumped. By text. And the lad has just gotten with her best friend.”

Alec let go of Ellie as he took a step back in shock. “What?! I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend?” 

“I don’t know if it was that serious to be honest, but I get the impression it was her first boyfriend. Always hurts the worst, doesn’t it.” 

Alec shrugged, he wasn’t sure that the breakup when he was 13 came close to how he felt when Tess said she wanted a divorce. And if God forbid, he and Ellie ever broke up, that would hurt even more. 

“Is she okay? Should I go and speak to her?” Alec asked quickly, already moving towards the door. 

Ellie caught his hand to stop him “Just give her a bit longer, okay? She was worried that you’d go crazy on him.” 

“Damn right I’m going to go crazy on him, what’s his name? Do you think he took advantage of her?” Alec ranted.

“It’s not important right now and no she promised me he didn’t. Just...give me a bit longer. Eventually she’ll want her dad.” 

Alec reluctantly nodded and allowed Ellie past him to go back upstairs. He watched her go up and then stood at the bottom for a while, deciding whether he should just go up and follow her. 

A call from Fred snapped him out of it. Daisy would want to speak to him eventually, he would just have to trust Ellie to look after her for now, no matter how painful it was. 

  


Alec had finished all of the sky and some of the trees on the jigsaw with Fred when they finally heard two sets of footsteps coming down the stairs. He sat silently for a moment, waiting to see if either of them would come in and grab him. When they didn’t, he took the hint and stayed in the living room with Tom and Fred, out the way. 

He heard cupboards opening and closing. 

Clattering of pans.

And finally, the sound he had been waiting to hear, his daughter laughing.

He was tempted to put his ear against the door to see what they were doing and what they were saying but resisted. Maybe if it was Tess in there right now, he would. But not Ellie. 

It was another half an hour and then with an exaggerated sniff, Fred beamed up at him.

“Cake! I smell cake!” He screamed, getting to his feet. Alec also gave a sniff to find that he was right, Ellie and Daisy were baking. Before he could do anything else, he realised that Fred had ran to the door leading to the kitchen and had opened it to run in. 

Alec ran after him and grabbed him by the waist to lift him up into his arms at the doorway. However, because Fred had already opened the door, Alec could see what was happening in the kitchen. 

Ellie and Daisy were currently giggling as they iced cupcakes together, Daisy laughing even harder when Ellie put a streak of purple icing onto her cheek.

And that’s when Alec realise he was in love with Ellie Miller.

Ellie was currently treating his daughter like her own, comforting her through boy trouble and then even making her _ laugh _after all of that. And with respect to Tess, she tried to be a good mum to Daisy, but she wouldn’t have a clue how to deal with that. 

“Alec!” Ellie caught his attention and he found her looking at him with a fond smile. “You okay?”

“Me? Yeah, course I am” He put Fred back on the floor so he could go over to Daisy. “How are you, darlin’?”

Daisy nodded slightly, her eyes tearing up again. Before she could say anything, Alec wrapped her up into a tight hug, resting his head on top of hers. 

“I’m so sorry Dais” He whispered into her hair.

He felt her nod against him and tightened the hug for another moment before he let her go. 

“I thought a bit of cake would cheer her up.” Ellie explained, smiling. 

Daisy gave out a wet laugh as she nodded and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper. “It’s worked. Thank you, Ellie. For today.”

Ellie’s smile grew as she brought Daisy in for her own hug. “You’ll be okay, lovely. He didn’t deserve you anyway.”

“Dais! Dais! Come see my j’gsaw!” Fred had managed to grab a hold of Daisy’s hand and began to drag her away from Ellie. Giggling, Daisy allowed herself to be pulled along by Fred into the living room where they heard Tom quietly ask if she was okay. 

Once they were alone, Alec stepped as close to Ellie as he possibly could and wrapped his arms around her waist so their bodies were pressed against each other. 

“Thank you, for today.” 

“No need to thank me, I’m a mum, remember? I’ll always be there for crying children.” She grinned.

Alec nodded, and then... “I love you.” He hadn’t expected those words to come out like that. He was planning on maybe telling her over a candlelit dinner or something. Maybe when he thought she would be more in a position to say it back. 

Ellie looked at him for a moment, swallowed, and then, “I love you too.” 

Alec gave her his biggest smile “Yeah?” 

“Course I do. I love you.”  


“Good.” Alec brought her in for a soft kiss and pulled her closer to him. “Hm, those cakes smell nice.” He finally mumbled between kisses.

  
“Course they do, me and your daughter baked them.” 

  


_** New** **house **_

They had had enough of being split between two houses. Well, it was rare that Ellie would come over to Alec’s house (if you could even call it a house, Ellie called it a shack), but even then, they hated that Alec and Daisy would keep having to go to their house to get more clothes or that they always had to leave early on a Sunday night so that Daisy could get her things sorted for school the following morning.

They wanted to make things permanent. 

Make their blended family permanent. 

Alec was only renting the blue house so it was relatively easy for him to get rid of it, leading him and Daisy moving into the Miller household for a few months. They could have easily stayed there but it was just slightly too small for them all.

Daisy was stuck in the spare room or the ‘box room’ which it was now known as and there wasn’t _ quite _ enough room around the kitchen table for five people, it led to _ a lot _of elbow bumping during dinner time. 

It was when Alec and Ellie had a rare night to themselves that Alec brought up the subject of getting a new house together. He remembered that Ellie hadn’t moved out of the house after Joe because of the kids so he was fully expecting her to give him the same answer.

“El?” He murmured as he gently traced his fingertips over her palm. They had cooked a meal together and ate it over candlelight. They were now halfway through their bottle of red wine and Alec had somehow worked up enough courage to bring up the subject.

She hummed in response as she took another sip of her wine.

“I...I was thinking-”

“That’s dangerous.”

He smirked for a moment before he went back to being serious. Ellie clearly took the hint and looked back at him sincerely. “Say no if you want, I totally understand. I just wanted to know how you felt about…”

She gave him a few seconds before Ellie rolled her eyes and turned her hand the other way so that she could grip his. “What is it Alec? Tell me.” 

“How do you feel about moving house?” He said quickly.

Ellie sat back into the kitchen stool and Alec watched as her eyes flitted over the kitchen around her. The pale orange walls, the matching curtains, the counters, everything. 

Her eyes then settled on the photo frame on the wall. It had three photos contained in it, one with Ellie with a newborn Tom, the next one had Ellie with a newborn Fred and finally, at the bottom, was a photo of the five of them sat on the wall at the beach with fish and chips in their laps. That space had remained empty ever since Ellie found out about Joe as she had ripped out their wedding photo as soon as she found out the news. But after seeing that photo which was taken last month, she immediately ran down to the nearest Boots to get it printed off. 

“I bought this house with Joe.” She finally said. Alec remained silent, letting her take her time. “And when I found out what he did to Danny, I wanted to get out of here. I _ needed _to get out of here. But I felt like I was making it official, to me and to the boys, that we were now alone. So I settled on redecorating.”

She shakily brought her glass up to take another drink. 

“But now...you’re here. You and Daisy.” She then looked back up at him “And I would love nothing more than to move into a fresh, new house with you DI Hardy.”

“Yeah?” Alec grinned, in slight shock. He had expected a bit more convincing on his part.

Ellie nodded quickly “Yes! I’ll have to run it by the boys, specifically Tom, of course but I don’t see why they wouldn’t want a bigger house.” 

“Well, on that note, I think we should propose a toast.” Alec refilled both of their wine glasses and held his up which she mirrored. “To new beginnings?”

“To new beginnings, my love” She smiled, clinking their glasses together. 

  


Tom acted more like an adult than Ellie ever gave him credit for. Of course, he would miss the house which he had his whole childhood in but he knew it was practical and good for them all to move out. 

So as soon as they had the approval of everyone, they started the process of house hunting. 

And within a month, they had found it. The perfect house. 

It was only about 10 minutes from their previous house but it was like a completely different world there. Their kids had a large room each and they also had another spare one in case they had visitors or you know, if one day they decided to expand their family a bit more. Neither of them said that to each other but it was definitely at the back of both of their minds when they saw it. 

But the best thing was the _ view. _ Out of the front of the house they had a perfect, unobscured view of the beach. When they first came to visit the house, Ellie had sat on the windowsill in the living room and simply stared out at the waves crashing onto the beach. It was _ gorgeous. _

They put in an offer the day after they visited and the day after that they found out it had been accepted. It was _ theirs. _Ellie’s house sold quickly enough so within a couple of months they were moving into their house. The Hardy and Miller household. 

  


“Dad? I can’t find my laptop! What box was it in?” Daisy yelled down the stairs.

“I should hope that you packed it in the box labelled ‘Daisy’s Room’. If not, I have no idea.” Alec shouted back. He heard a huff as Daisy marched back into her new room to tip everything out of the boxes to find it. 

Alec rolled his eyes and continued to attempt to unwrap the obscene amount of bubble wrap which Ellie had insisted on putting around the coffee machine. For the massive journey of 10 minutes.

“You okay, bubs?” Ellie asked as she walked into their _ new _kitchen. 

He hummed in response as he continued to try and pick off the sellotape with his fingernail. 

“Fred and Tom’s room is all done. Living room is nearly there” Ellie continued as she grabbed a knife and cut straight through the bubble wrap. “There, that saved you some time.” 

Alec rolled his eyes again and turned to give Ellie a fond smile “Was wanting to save that.”

“Oh yeah? In case you move out again with your new mistress?” Ellie joked, pulling Alec close to her. 

Alec turned them so Ellie had her back to the granite counter tops and put his hands either side of her, trapping her.  


“Of course. Planning it now.” He mumbled as he leant own and started to kiss along her neck. She gasped in delight and turned her head to the side, allowing him better access.

“Kids are upstairs.” She breathed, clenching her hands against the counter until her knuckles went white. 

Alec knew she was right. They could walk in at any moment. But it was so good.

Eventually, Ellie placed a hand on his chest and placed her lips against his ear to whisper “Later. We can christen the bed in properly.” 

Alec growled but forced himself to step away. “I’m going to hold you to that.” He smiled as he gave her a final kiss and then moved away from her. 

“So we better do something special for our first meal here.” Ellie pondered. She went over to the freshly stocked cupboards and glanced through it all.

“We could bake something.” Alec pondered while he began to plug in all the appliances sat on the kitchen bench. 

“Yes!” 

Alec jumped at her shout and turned round to her. “Didn’t you know I had a dodgy heart?” He pressed a hand to his chest.

“Don’t joke about that.” She frowned before her face lit back up. “Let’s bake something! Celebrate moving in!”

Alec nodded “Okay...one thing. What box were the recipe books put in?”

After they had opened and rummaged around a full ten boxes, they finally managed to pull out their favourite recipe book. Ellie quickly thumbed through the pages before she stopped. 

“Chocolate fudge. Perfect!” 

She gave Alec a hopeful smile. Whilst he loved baking all types of cakes, he wasn’t the biggest fan of chocolate. But it was Ellie’s ultimate favourite. Honestly, it was the thing they argued about the most.

“Go on then. Get the stuff out.” He said. He tried to sound reluctant but both of them knew that he was dying to get started.

One by one, their kids came to join them. Fred came down first with an armful of toys which he had forgotten he owned until Ellie had unpacked them so he was currently using the kitchen table as a brand new racetrack for his cars. Daisy was next, her discovered laptop under her arm, which she used for a few minutes before Fred convinced her to join in with his games as ‘red car’. Tom was a while later, bored, since his x-box still wasn’t set up and his football kit was still at the bottom of a box somewhere. He was quickly given the role as ‘blue car’.

So when Ellie carefully brought out the cake from the oven, they had three kids staring hungrily at it. 

“Don’t even think about touching it until it’s cooled and iced.” She warned, pointing a finger at all of them. It didn’t stop her from picking at a piece on the edge though. Cook’s privileges and all that. 

Alec carefully filled an icing bag up with chocolate buttercream and iced it with precision that only Alec Hardy could pull off. However he definitely felt the pressure when he caught four pairs of eyes staring intensely at it. 

“Done!” He said, feeling pretty accomplished. Their house was still in disarray with boxes _ everywhere _but at least he had managed to bake a pretty good chocolate cake with Ellie. And that’s all that mattered.

Ellie served each of them a small piece, putting a hand up before the vultures could begin to ravish it. 

  
“Hang on. This is our first meal here! Let’s make it a bit more significant, yeah?”

“It’s hardly a ‘meal’ mum, it’s cake.” Tom grumbled, licking a piece of icing with his finger.

“He’s got a point, El.” Alec added. Usually he would be all for ‘significant’ eatings of cake, but sue him, he had had a long day full of lifting and unpacking so he hadn’t eaten a thing all day. He needed a bit of sugar. 

Ellie rolled her eyes and looked at them all with such fondness that it made Alec’s heart swell. “Fine. Dig in.” 

Later in the night, Alec and Ellie would regret giving them cake instead of a proper nutritious meal. But for now, they didn’t care. 

  


** _ Wedding _ **

There was one cake which they didn’t bake themselves. Their _ wedding cake. _Alec and Ellie had been together for two years before Alec finally worked up the courage to pop the question whilst they were on a walk along the beach. 

Neither of them had really thought that they would get re-married. They were quite content with just being...Alec&Ellie without the full ceremony. But it was the endless questions from their friends (Ellie’s friends), and eventually, their kids, that wore them down. And it was when the pair of them were lying in bed, post-coital, that Ellie murmured against his bare chest that she would love to get married again. 

So that was that. Alec had gone down on one knee with a ring box in his shaking hand and asked her to be his wife. Of course, she said yes before he could even finish the question. 

“Not going to lie, all of these are starting to taste the same.” Alec groaned as he put down his seventh sample of cake back down onto the plate. “I would kill for a salad right now.”  


Ellie hummed in agreement. They had had too much sugar in one day, even for her. But she was determined to get the right one.

“It’s definitely between sample 2 and 6.” She said around a mouthful of cake.

Alec leaned his chin against his hand and gazed at her for a few moments before he nodded. “Right now, I would say yes to a _ coffee cake. _And you know how much I hate coffee cake.” 

“One more sample, my love. Then we can leave wedding planning behind for another day.” She said, smiling at him. 

Reluctantly, he slowly picked up the last piece of cake from the plate and tasted it. 

Red velvet.

He hadn’t had red velvet since…

His birthday, nearly three years ago.

Alec’s eyes widened and looked up at Ellie. Clearly, she had thought the exact same thing judging from the excited way she was looking back at him.

“I made you a red velvet cupcake for your birthday that year.” She mused. “WIth cream cheese icing and sprinkles.”  


“And that was the moment I properly realised that I felt something for you.” Alec replied, softly smiling.

Ellie laughed “It was when you baked that cake for my birthday that I realised the same. Maybe all it took was a little baking.” 

Alec grinned, leaning over to give her a quick peck on the lips. 

“I think we’ve found our cake.” He finally said.

“I think we have Mr. Hardy” She replied, grinning. 

  


The ceremony had been simple and quiet, with a select few attending the ceremony. The Latimers, Lucy and Olly, Jocelyn and Maggie, Paul, who conducted the ceremony, and of course the most important guests, their children.

It took place in Maggie and Jocelyn’s garden. It was large and had more than enough room for them all whilst having the stunning view of the ocean behind them as they said their vows. Tom walked Ellie down the ‘aisle’ in the absence of her late father whilst Alec stood at the top of the garden next to Paul and Daisy was standing next to him who was holding a squirmy Fred. 

“You look...so gorgeous” He murmured, once she had finally reached him. She couldn’t answer him due to already being choked up with tears. She knew if she opened her mouth, she would begin to cry. Happy tears of course. 

After Joe, she didn’t think that she would bring herself to ever trust another man again. And it was the exact same thing which Alec used to think. He knew that with every woman he ever dated after Tess, he would have a niggling thought in the back of his head, wondering if she was cheating on him.

And yet, they found each other, even through all that pain. 

Later on, when the sun had set long ago, and Daisy had escorted Tom and a sleeping Fred back to their house for the night, Alec and Ellie sat in the corner of the garden with Alec’s arm wrapped around her waist to bring her in close and Ellie’s head resting on his shoulder. They were still in that bubble of pure content.

“Good decision on the cake.” Ellie mused as they shared the last piece together. 

“Not as good as yours though.” Alec replied, gently threading his hands through her hair, unraveling it from the complicated updo which her and Lucy had spent hours (and a lot of youtube) on earlier. 

“Oh I know that. But it in a weird way it symbolises us, doesn’t it?” 

Alec grinned into her now loose curls, pressing a soft kiss into them. “It definitely does, Ellie Hardy.”  


_** New** **Additions **_

Ellie was pregnant. It had taken her a while (a month) to come to terms with the fact that she was with child again. But she was pregnant. 

And both her and Alec were so, _ so _happy.

Both of them had considered it in their head, the idea that the last step to become a fully integrated family could possibly be a baby with genes from the pair of them. However, neither of them admitted it, thinking that the other would be opposed to the idea.

Oh how they were so wrong.

Ellie had found out after she had thrown up every single morning for a full week. She had refused to even _ consider _the idea that she was pregnant, even though the last time she had felt sickness like that was when she was pregnant with Fred. 

It was when it continued for a week after that. And her back started to ache slightly. And were her breasts starting to feel a little more tender? That’s when she decided she had to rule out the impossible by taking a pregnancy test. Five tests to be specific. 

And every single one were positive.

She had made sure to send the kids to Lucy’s for the night when she finally decided to tell Alec. 

“I know you’ve been worried about me.” She stated, the pair of them facing each other on their new sofa.

“Please don’t tell me it’s something serious.” He pleaded, as he brought a hand up to cup her cheek. 

She smiled briefly. “Depends on how you look at it I suppose.” 

Alec continued to stare at her with that concerned gaze which he had been giving her for the past two weeks.

She took a deep breath. This was it. “Alec. I’m _ pregnant. _”

“Oh.” He breathed, dropping his hand from her cheek to clasp his hands tightly between his thighs. 

  
She allowed him to be silent for a good few minutes before she could no longer take his staring at the floor. “Alec. Say something, please.”

Finally, he looked back up at her with something in his eyes that she wasn’t expecting after his initial reaction. She saw _ joy. _

“You’re pregnant? I-I...how?” He finally stuttered out.

Ellie shrugged. “There was a week I was in between birth control pills, that must have been the week.”

Alec nodded once more before his eyes flickered down to her still flat stomach. “Wow. We’re going to have a baby together.”

“Yeah. We are.” Ellie laughed breathlessly before Alec crashed their lips together, pouring all his emotions into the kiss. They were having a _ baby _together. 

  


A few months later, Ellie was standing against the kitchen bench, her arms crossed over her growing bump.

“Why not?!” She protested.

“Because...it’s such an _ American _thing to do. These gender reveal things just make me squirm. Like why does it matter what gender it is? Why do we have to make such a big deal over it?” He ranted. 

Ellie rolled her eyes. “Because it’s exciting, that’s why!” She looked at his still dull stare, he was not budging on the idea of a ‘gender reveal party’, no matter how much convincing she tried to do. 

She sighed and carefully perched herself on the stool next to him. They definitely needed to find a replacement chair for her in a couple of months, considering she was struggling now to get up onto it. 

“Okay. How about it’s just us two?” 

“Just us?” 

“Yep. So it’s still intimate but it’s a more exciting way of finding out than the ultrasound technician telling us whilst looking at his watch to find out how long he has to go until he’s off his shift.”

Alec thought about it for a moment. 

“We’re not doing those balloons though. That confetti would take an _ age _ to clear up.”  


Ellie grinned. This was progress. “Of course not.” 

She pulled out her phone from her back pocket and immediately opened the pinterest page she had bookmarked and began to scroll. 

It was a couple of minutes before she stopped.

That was it.

That was how they could do it.

Through cake. 

Ellie looked back up at him with the most dazzling smile and excitement swimming in her eyes. This would be so good.

A week later a knock at the door woke Ellie up from her, now daily, nap. (When at work, Alec allowed her to sneak in a quick nap on the sofa in his office, like the big softie he was.)

“Oh! Hello!” She greeted excitedly.

The local baker nodded in return and handed over the white cake box. They had asked their obstetrician to write down their gender of the baby on a note which they then passed over to the bakery. 

As much as they hated to conform to normal gender stereotypes, the baker insisted on the inside of the cake being either pink or blue. 

She smiled down at the plain white cake as if it would give her a little clue as to what colour the cake was inside. After no such luck, she placed it in the fridge and watched the clock tick down until Alec _ finally _came through the door.

“El! I’m home!” He shouted as he toed off his shoes and popped his jacket onto his coat hook at the door.

“It’s here!” She exclaimed, rushing out the kitchen.

“What’s here?”

  
“The cake! It was dropped off this morning!”

Alec’s jaw dropped open slightly. He couldn’t believe that the cake which was currently in the fridge would soon tell him what gender his baby would be. Not that he cared either way but still...it was a pretty big deal.

They waited until the kids got home from school and then... packed them off to Aunt Lucy’s for the rest of the evening. They needed to do this just the two of them. They would tell Daisy, Tom and Fred later in the evening of course, but they desired the intimacy of just doing this the two of them.

“You want to do the honours?” He asked, holding out the knife to her.

“Think we should do it together, to be honest.” She said, her eyes already slightly teary as she smiled at him.

Alec nodded and allowed Ellie to wrap her warm hands around his own, encasing the knife. Slowly, the pair of them cut a large piece of the cake. 

“This is it.” Ellie breathed, gently grabbing the cake slice from where it was sat beside them on the table. This time, Alec wrapped his own hands around hers and together, they brought the slice up.

Pink.

They were having a daughter.

After all they had been through, DI Hardy and DS Miller were having a _ daughter _together. It started with a red velvet cupcake and led them to now, the pair of them hugging tearfully as Alec gently caressed the top of her small baby bump. They had a family. 

**Author's Note:**

> Congrats! You made it to the end! If you have then please please please leave kudos and comment, they are honestly the things which motivate me to keep going and ultimately keep on improving. Thank you so much for reading!x


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